Community reels after killings

28/10/2010 15:17

A Shongweni father wept as he relived a midnight ordeal when a group of gunmen burst into his home and one of them raped his daughter on his bed, while he and his wife had to helplessly endure her piercing screams. nike air max 95 on saleThe traumatised 13-year-old was still in hospital on Tuesday and was receiving counselling. The gunmen then continued their devastating spree, killing five family members at a homestead about 500m away, after they had killed a man and wounded a pregnant woman. The incident, which happened late on Monday, has sent shockwaves through the community in Shongweni, west of Durban. One community member described it as “a horror crime of all times”. The seriousness of the crime has prompted the KwaZulu-Natal Safety and Security MEC, Willies Mchunu, to call in the Hawks, the elite police unit, led by its provincial head, Johan Booysens, to investigate. Ngenzeni Hlongwane, 40, and her three children, Nokuthula, 22, Thabani, 18, and Mthobisi Zulu, 8, and her two-year-old grandchild, Thalente Zulu, were shot and killed. The attackers also killed S’thembiso Nxusa, 29, shot and wounded his pregnant girlfriend, and then raped his 13-year-old sister’s girlfriend. The father of the rape victim, who cannot be named to protect the girl’s identity, said he had felt powerless. nike air max shoes for sale “I begged them to stop but they threatened to kill us. I could not save my daughter. I feel sad, really sad,” he said. Police believe that the same gang was responsible for the deaths and attacks at both homes. Yesterday, police were combing the area and questioning witnesses. Women around the area came to comfort both families. cheap nike air max shoes “It is sad to wake up in the morning and learn that the whole family has been wiped out. These are the people that we live with and we saw them yesterday, the children and everyone and now they are dead,” said a neighbour, Jabulani Zwane. Police spokeswoman Brigadier Phindile Radebe said that the first family was attacked around midnight by a group of unknown armed men. Radebe said a man was shot and killed while he was visiting his girlfriend. “The woman, who is seven months’ pregnant, was also shot and wounded while her 13-year-old relative was raped. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital.” She said police believed that the same group of men moved to another home, where they attacked and killed five family members. She said one of the children had tried to escape but was shot. cheap nike shoes Radebe said detectives from the Hawks and forensic science laboratory were on the scene, while the public order police unit had been deployed around the area. Provincial Police Commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni said police were working around the clock to find the suspects. Hlongwane’s uncle, Ernest Mnyandu, said the last time he was with his niece was on Saturday, after she had asked to see him. “She told me that a group of unknown men had come to her house to ask her about the piece of land she was occupying. She was worried about this,” he said. Mchunu, who visited both families, said “these ruthless killings can only be executed by criminals” and pledged that police would leave no stone unturned in their search for the killers. The department will hold a meeting today with the community policing forum, police and ward councillors to discuss crime in the area. ANC provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala called on the community to work with the police.cheap nike air max 90